BEING PROPERLY INSTRUCTED INTHE WAY OF THE LORD - PART 2

MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2022

Another point to consider about this topic is this: To be properly instructed in the way of the Lord is to be Scripturally wise or sound. Considering the eternal benefit, apostle Paul exhorted the young Timothy saying, "You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT). Here, apostle Paul was actually expressing how to be properly instructed in the way of the Lord.

Reference: Acts 18:24-26 King James Version (KJV) "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."

The Scripture described Apollos as a man who undeniably prospered in the things and way of the Lord, as a devout Christian and in explicate manner. He was unashamed, rightly dividing the Scriptures. And its remarkable to identify the difference between the two periods He excelled in it. The first was when he spoke and taught it before Aquila and Priscilla discovered him. The second period was when Aquila and Priscilla brought him to their home and taught him about Jesus accurately, beyond what he knew which was about only Christ's coming and the baptism of John.

Today, we can consider his eloquence, as well as his effectiveness and weighty understanding in explaining the Scriptures. With his expressive influence at that time, he made the Lord Jesus prominent as a glorious and sovereign Deity and in turn, it rendered his eloquent class of speech worthy of notice among men in his day. His boldness in preaching the Word would come as a result of his fervency in spirit. So what did he normally do to be fervent? To answer this question, what comes to mind first, is the multitude of believers who gathered with one heart and mind while in their meeting place. After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness (see Acts 4:31 NIV). That means, behind the scenes, Apollos was doing the same, which is getting filled with the Spirit.

The things of the Spirit are spiritual realities and they are the doctrine of divine plan, purpose and decrees. When propoundly taught and accurately explained, it is spiritually designed to impart the human spirit and instil the human mind with breathtaking realities. Notice that apostle Paul said, "But the man who isn't a Christian can't understand and can't accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can't take it in" (1 Corinthians 2:14 TLB). This implies that spiritual realities are spiritually discerned and can be boldly and accurately taught by someone who is filled by the Spirit. Since they are divinely inspired, they can only be comprehended in a spiritual way. The also implies that the teaching is designed for people who are guided by the Spirit because the wisdom and revelations are of the Spirit of God.

Kingdom mysteries are so vast because many a time, they reveal the hidden mind of God behind certain Scriptures which may remain somehow unfathomable unless they are wisely explained to us, processed by our faith and developed by the Spirit of truth in our spirit. They are not ministered in words taught or supplied by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, as long as the teacher is constantly disciplined to be guided by the Holy Spirit. In doing so, the teacher is inspired to combine and interpret spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. And its impossible to resist the wisdom of God when its brought to human heart by accurate understanding because it fills the mind with godly reverence, awe-inspiring effects and glorious wonder.

No wonder the Psalmist said, "Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18 AMP). Here, he was making reference to deep revelation beyond the normal. In line with this, Paul acknowledged that Apollos and himself should be looked upon as servants of Christ who have been put in charge or consecrated as stewards [trustees, managers or administrators] of God's mysteries which He chooses to reveal (see 1 Corinthians 4:1). Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 3:1-3; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10.

Exuberant Declaration: I'm grateful for the fear of God at work in me, the Almighty Being, who has an eternal plan and purpose for my life through the Kingdom mysteries which are wise and transformative. Daily, I appreciate divine truths and I approach them with a godly fear, mingled with confidence and zealous attitude, which are awe leading to the profoundest reverence. Therefore, I testify that God's eternal counsels are richly invested and settled in my inward being and by the Spirit, I preach the Word and explain the mysteries of the Godhead with boldness. Hallelujah!